Finland's own Farmakon may be a young group, having only formed in the spring of 2000 and quickly signing to Elitist Records after recording only three songs, yet their abilities are anything but novice. On "A Warm Glimpse" the group display a keen understanding for European metal and challenge themselves to take the traditional style into new areas by instilling their widespread talents into a debut that capitalizes on experimentation.

Farmakon are skilled in a variety of differing styles, touching up on lounge jazz, 70's funk & Latin rock, but the group's melodic death metal exterior is what provides the backbone from which they experiment. In fact, this metallic stability is necessary in directing the album on a narrow path when it comes so close to unraveling. Occasionally their eclectic nuances hamper them, as they get caught up in their jam sessions and seem to lose focus, yet within seconds they return to form and deconstruct their spastic structure with driving metal bravado. Guitarist Lassi Paunonen has a vivid Santana influence that permeates through his Swedish roots, often injecting trace amounts of mariachi into the mix (most memorably on the metallic tango of "Stretching Into Me"). There is also an evident Mr. Bungle comparison to be made, as Marko Eskola could be the heir apparent of bassist Trevor Dunn, not to mention that it's hard to escape from the Mike Patton-inspired singing of Eskola as well; yet these men allow their influences to take on a life of their own, conforming to the eccentric metal panorama on display. Eskola is often unpredictable, as on "Same" he sets the course with guttural expulsions of noise before lapsing into operatic wails that shatter preconceptions and leave listeners dumbstruck. The precision with which Farmakon cavort through technical passages is indeed breath-taking, as Paunonen moves with elliptical agility from soaring prog solos to devastating metallic intensity (note his cosmic immensity on "Flowgrasp"), while Riku Airisto's complex percussion is air-tight whether he's performing aggressive death rolls or minimalist jazz accentuation. These four men have the ability to amaze and do so time and time again, making "A Warm Glimpse" one of the year's most adventurous and aurally pleasing metal albums.

Call it youthful zest or call it over the top multitasking, these men have seized the opportunities presented to them and have tried their best to capture all of their widespread inspirations in one expansive release. Quite astonishingly they have succeeded more often than not, and this largely self-produced effort offers them the liberties to perfect the music, channeling their vision into a debut that is as promising as it is punishing. This is an eclectic outing from a surprising young force in the European metal community, challenging the listener with an array of highly skilled musical styles. Their Scandinavian melodicism brings to mind Opeth, what with it's prog undertones and grueling demeanor, and if left at that the band would make for a fearsome entity in the always evolving Euro scene. Yet to realize that this is but one facet to the quartet's indelible musical assault is what establishes the band, raising the bar to a new level and proving they are in league with the likes of Ephel Duath and Eyes Of Fire in pioneering a new direction for the age old death metal style.